Vehicle jack



VEHICLE JACK mum May 1s, 1937.

Inventor Attorney ../aH/v M HqpALasa/v 'lll/IIIA Patented May 138, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,080,711 VEHICLE JACK John M. Haraldson, Spokane, Wash. Application september 2s, 1935, seriali No. 41,744

1 claim. (014254-186) My present invention relates to improvements in vehicle jacks of the type mounted on both, or either, of the-front and rear axles of a motor vehicle or automobile, and power-operated, as by 5 compressed air, from a supply tank also mounted on the vehicle, v

lIn carryingout my invention I utilize a telescoping power-jack, preferably one on each axle of the vehicle, and these jacks are mounted in such manner that they may be laterally shifted,

or adjusted transversely of the vehicle, in order that the weight of the vehicle to be lifted may be.

complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to ,one mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention. It will be understood, however, that changes and alterations may be made in the exemplifying structures, within the scope of my claim, without'departing from the principles of the invention. y

Figure \1 isan elevation` showing the rear axle and wheels and -other parts of an automobile equipped with the device ofy my invention, and showing by dotted lines a laterally shifted position of the jack when in use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view partly in sction showing one of the jacks retracted, together 40' with the 'adjustable' mount and servomotor for the jack.

,Figure '3l is a, view of the servo-motor, partly broken away to disclose its interior arrangement.

I Figure 4 is a diagrammatic arrangement of the `two jacks and their servo-motors for the front and rear axles of an automobile, together with the supply tank for compressed air, and the control valves for the jacks and servo-motors respectively.

Figure 5 isa detail perspective view of a portion ofthe means for mounting a jack on an axle.

In the diagrammatic Figure 4, the two jacks are designated J and J thetwo motors M and M;

the supply tank for compressed air is indicated as T; the valve V controls the supply of motive uid to the motors andthe valve V' controls the supply "of motive uid to the two jacks.

- Inasmuch as the equipment for both the front and rear axles of an automobile are the same, the" description of the jack and its mounting for the 5 rear axle will suice for both equipments involving my invention.' In Figure 1 where 1the Awheels W, axle A 4and springs S are illustrated, the jack and its mount are attached to the axle A through the use of a split supporting block comprising two 10 sections I and 2 that enclose the axle and are rigidly fastened thereto in suitable manner. An attaching plate 3 is bolted at 4 to the block, and this plate is fashioned with a horizontally extending dove-'tail tongue 5. A slide plate Shaving 15 acomplementary dove-tail groove I in one of its faces is slidably mounted on the fixed attaching plate, for lateral adjustment of the jack, which jack hadr attaching flanges 8 on its main exterior.

cylinder or barrel 9, and bolts I0 rigidly join the 20 jack with the slide plate.

The main cylinder or barrel of the jack is open at the bottom, but its upper end vis closed by a head I I, which/has an air inlet pipe I2 connected.

' thereto to admit compressed air to the jack from 25 the tank T under control. of the valve V.

A second, inner cylinder I3 telescopes within the outer or main barrel of the jack, and this inner cylinder has an exterior piston-head I4 engaging the bore' of the barrel. A return, or lifting spring 30 I5 is coiled about the exterior of the telescoping cylinder and interposed between the piston head and an innerannular flange I6 at the bottom lof the outer barrel, which spring lifts the inner telef scoping cylinder when pressure is released from 35 the upper end of the outer barrel, and the spring ,holds the inner cylinder in uplifted position. i

Within therinner cylinder is arranged a teley scoping plunger stem I I. having at its upper end a piston head I8 slidable in the bore of theinner 40 cylinder, and adapted to receive air pressure, with the piston-head I4, against -its .upper face, for downwardly projecting the inner cylinderand the plunger-stem of the jack, to`lift, and to support the vehicle in uplifted position.-

45 Another retracting spring I8 is coiledrabout the plunger stem, and interposed between the head I8 of the stem and an interior, annular flange 20 fashioned at the lower end of the inner telescoping cylinder, for lifting, and for holding uplifted, 50

l` the plunger-s em in the absence of motive fluidl pressure in t e upper end of themain barrel of the jack. i,

The lower end of the plunger-stem projects downwardly through the open end of the-` inner 55' telescoping cylinder, and this projecting end is fashioned with a spherical head or ball 2 I., loosely seated in a bearing block 22 having a ange-ring or cap 23 bolted on the block for the purpose of suspending` the block from the spherical head or ball.

Within the bearing block and seated in a recess therein, a friction pad 24, of rubber or other suitable material, is provided, as an anti-rattling device. 'I'he pad of resilient material is somewhat compressed to alford a frictional engagement with the ball and thereby tighten the loose fit of the bearing block on the ball lwhen the jack is not extendedpand the pad also forms a cushion forthe projected plunger-stem when the jackis extended. A foot plate or base 25 is bolted to the bearing head or bearing block, and the base, with its block and retaining hanged-ring form a swivel head for the jack that readily adjusts itself to irregularities on the floor or ground when the jack is extended to lift the vehicle.

The servo-motors M and M are designed to facilitate lateral adjustment of the jacks, under motive ilud pressure, by sliding the jacks and their attached slidev plates on the attaching plates.

Each of the servo-motors comprises a horizontally disposed cylinder 26 attached at one end, as

at 21, to a spring bracket or other suitable sup' port, and also bolted, as at 28 by a clamping band to the plate 3, thereby rigidly holding the cylinder in stationary position, below the axle, -and also below the horizontally disposed attaching plates.

or mount for the jack.

The cylinder 26 has two air inlet pipes 29 and 3|), at its opposite ends and these pipes receive compressed air from the tank T under control of the valve V, which valve controls, alternately, admission of compressed air for power to the opposite ends of the cylinder, through the two heads 3| and 32.

A piston-stem 33 is reciprocable in the cylinder and in its head 32, which has an opening therein to accommodate the stem, and within the cylinder the stem is fashioned with a piston head 34 located in neutral position at the approximate longitudinal center of the cylinder.

The exterior end of the piston-stem, which projects through the cylinder head32, is bent upwardly at 35, and rigidly anchored or fastened' in suitable manner at 36 to the slide plate 6, so that these two elements, rigidly joined together, may move in unison for lateral adjustment of the jack.

, At opposite sides of the piston head 34 are located springs 31 and 38 interposed between the piston head and the cylinder heads, one of which, after being compressed under air pressure at the opposite side of the piston head, returns thel piston head to neutral position when the air pressure is released from the interior of the cylinder;

Ths it will readily be apparent that the jack ini Figure 1 may readily be projected, or extended, under power of compressed air from the tank T by manipulation of the valve V. Or, if it is necessary to equalize the weight of the vehicle, the retracted jack may be moved laterally from full line position to the dotted line position of Figure 1, under power of compressed air by manipulation of the valve V. Then, after the jack is in proper position, the valve V' is manipulated to extend the telescoping parts, by compressed air, to elevate the rear end of the vehicle from the ground or floor. The vehicle is lowered to the ground by manipulation of the valve V' to release the air pressure, and the two coiled springs within the jack retract the telescoping parts of the jack. The retracted jack is then returned to its central position with relation to the vehicle by manipulation of the valve V, which releases the pressure in the cylinder of the servo-motor, and the compressed spring pushes the piston-head to its neutral position. In some instances the valve V may be manipulated to release'air pressure from one end of the cylinder of the servo-motor, and to admit air tothe opposite end of the cylinder, thereby returning the jack to its centralposition under air pressure.

Having thus fully described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

In a vehicle jack, the combination with a telescoping4 jack having a swiveled base member and a supporting member rigid with the jack, of a fixed support on the vehicle, said supporting member. supported by and slidable on the xed support, a compressed-air tank and supply pipes therefrom, control valves for said pipes, one of said pipes connected with" said jack, a servo-motor, and an air pipe connected with said motor for moving said supporting member.

JOHN M. HARALDSON. 

